Piers Morgan

[HavenKimmel]

I'm on a group whatsapp chat with some friends. Mixed group, mostly white, one Asian, one black girl, 3 gay. I'm female, white, straight. Group is just mates talking nonesense, sharing memes etc.

White male posts a petition to reinstate Piers Morgan at GMB. Follows it up with 'I love Piers Morgan, he speaks for lots of people.'

I found this in poor taste and said so, cue a big kerfuffle, mostly denying that there was anything untoward about it. Black girl leaves the group. When contacted to ask why she left, she says she 'has a lot on and the group was a distraction' which they accept.

For context, he has form for stirring the pot, the party line is to condone, that's just x, we all know what he's like.

Was I being unreasonable to take issue?

@SnarkyBag 1000% agree!

I think PM is a bit of a twat though there is something to be said for twats - sometimes they speak up when no one else will, because they are all too well-mannered. Unfortunately I also think he is a shit interviewer which is a real minus in a television host.

But as for calling out a friend on a casual chat because he is apparently as a white male not allowed to say he likes PM? Yeah, I think unreasonable. The calling out is what caused the kerfuffle. Even if he is inclined to stir the pot - pot stirrers have a lot of social value.

@Iamthewombat

OK. Why are you telling other posters to ‘rethink their values’ and suggesting that one particular poster doesn’t care about racism?

How do you know that she doesn’t?

She’s noting that the people shouting loudest about others’ opinions being WRONG tend to be rather intolerant of anyone (BIGOTS!) holding a different view to theirs.

Ably demonstrated by you, a few posts later.

Thank you @Iamthewombat Totally agree with you and all of your posts on here.

However there is no reasoning with posters like enigma16, because they cannot see how ridiculous they sound, they cannot EVER admit they are wrong, they will NEVER see anyone else's point of view but their own, and for all these reasons, I refuse to engage with them.

I have spent too many hours of my precious life arguing with this type, and it's like talking to a piece of dead wood. So now I don't engage with people like this. I refuse to waste my time.

When she said 'if you don't want to be accused of being racist and bigoted then don't be racist and bigoted' I almost pissed myself laughing. That is the most laughable and predictable line this type ALWAYS comes out with.

Especially as not ONE person on this thread has said a single thing that suggests they are racist and bigoted. Including me.

It's what the wokies say when they have nothing else to say, and have no argument.

And then (as a previous poster said,) they wonder why things NEVER go their way at the ballot boxes. It's because people get sick of being spoken down to by the wokies, sick of being told to STFU, and sick of being accused of being racist, bigoted, thick, dense gammon, if they don't agree with the liberal-left 'wokie' narrative.

@Pinchoftums

PM is a cunt. The phone hacking is unforgivable. Anyone that defends him I would struggle to respect their opinion again. Let alone the misogyny and racism.

Yep.

Your mate will be able to watch him all he likes when he announces he’s joining that horrible right wing news channel that’s coming. This was just his opportunity to leave so he can be available for that job.

This was just his opportunity to leave so he can be available for that job.
Yup, obviously cant know for sure but it reeks of a publicity stunt.

@HavenKimmel

The point has gone overhead at 1000ft. It seems you've bought into the petulant narrative that any call for the media to behave with a modicum of respect, integrity, fairness, impartiality, or consideration for the casualties of outrage punditry, must be met with cries of oppression. We're talking about a man involved with phone hacking and faking images of soldiers urinating on civilians. Is it really asking too much to expect a bit better than this?

When I said 'bigoted old windbags' I was applying that directly to the likes of Piers.

bigot
[ˈbɪɡət]
NOUN
a person who is obstinately or unreasonably attached to a belief, opinion, or faction, especially one who is prejudiced against or antagonistic towards a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group.

Piers Morgan summed up to a T.

Like Daily Mail readers? They're a group and you're biased against them, OP. In your own words, this makes you a bigot.

YABU

Could another reason things don't go the right way at the ballot box possibly be that the British press is owned in near entirety by Conservative billionaires, who have far and away the biggest platform and have used it to great effect to convince many of you that the woke left are dominating conversation.

The term freedom of speech refers to the right to protest without government interference, not everybody's right to be a malignant shit funnel with no accountability.

Woke. Seriously. And as for 'wokies'. As if a belittling nickname is going to shame anyone out of believing that society could benefit from a bit more mutual respect & civility.

I'm not biased against Daily Mail readers, but I consider the DM to be propaganda and am cautious about taking advice from anyone who's been conditioned by it.

@HavenKimmel

I'm not biased against Daily Mail readers, but I consider the DM to be propaganda and am cautious about taking advice from anyone who's been conditioned by it.

Love it. “I’m not biased against Daily Mail readers, but I am”.

Ah yes, of course 17 million electorate are too stupid to think for themselves. It’s all because of the right wing press. No way that people can be smart enough to disagree with your narrative all by themselves. They must have been brainwashed, duped, hypnotized by Tory billionnaires. Keep going OP, this kind of condescending talk really serves a purpose. Just not the one you want.

Could another reason things don't go the right way at the ballot box possibly be that the British press is owned in near entirety by Conservative billionaires, who have far and away the biggest platform and have used it to great effect to convince many of you that the woke left are dominating conversation.

Yeah, that’s right, OP. Anyone who holds a different view to you does so because they believe everything they read in the papers and never bother thinking for themselves. Thank God that we have independent free thinkers like you to show us the error of our ways.

Could another reason things don't go the right way at the ballot box possibly be that the British press is owned in near entirety by Conservative billionaires, who have far and away the biggest platform and have used it to great effect to convince many of you that the woke left are dominating conversation.

The British press has been predominantly conservative leaning for as long as I can remember and we have a had a Labour government during that time. I would argue that traditional media no longer has the largest platform, new media does and it is predominantly left leaning.

The term freedom of speech refers to the right to protest without government interference, not everybody's right to be a malignant shit funnel with no accountability.

And then this:

society could benefit from a bit more mutual respect & civility.

I'm a centre left but feel utterly repelled by this kind of hypocrisy.The modern left pays lip service to kindness and tolerance and then behaves in an aggressive, disrespectful way to anyone who doesn't agree with them. Perhaps if the left practiced what they preached.

I don't even live in the U.K. so I'm not responsible for whoever got voted in.

It's not that people can't think for themselves but of course a biased press affects public perception. Anyone would think you were hunting for offense while brigading against the perpetually offended.

I didn't call anyone a shit funnel did I, I said freedom of speech doesn't describe a right to be one. And yet you're 'utterly repelled by my hypocrisy'. Sounds a little like you too are hunting for something to be offended about.

I think he has a point in that I find the “cancel culture” a little tough to take.
Piers was entitled to his opinion and his freedom of speech. People’s opinions should not be silenced. People don’t have to agree.
He has first hand experience of (being in his words) “used by Meghan.”
GMB knew what they were getting when they signed him. He treated politicians much worse when he held them to account during this pandemic.
I wanted him to walk after his campaign to get runners to wear masks though!!!

@MummyJ12

But he flounced. He has said himself that he wasnt 'cancelled'.

Anyone would think you were hunting for offense while brigading against the perpetually offended.
Are you describing yourself as the perpetually offended?

Sounds a little like you too are hunting for something to be offended about.

I think you've mistaken difference of opinion for offense. It's a shame you"re not willing to consider that cancel culture is not healthy for democracy. Your replies are filled with contempt for anyone who doesn't think the way you do. Are you unable to understand that people's opinions are formed partly in response to their own experiences and not because they're fed lies by a biased press. You described the race, sex and sexuality of your group of friends, it would appear you value diversity of everything other than opinions.

Could another reason things don't go the right way at the ballot box

Which is the right way OP?

I consider the DM to be propaganda

Do you consider The Guardian to be impartial?

He has said himself that he wasnt cancelled

They tried to cancel him

I don't care about his issue with Princess pinnochio, him and her are both clasd a d-heads. my issue with him and folk like him was the phone hacking scandel, intercepting texts of millie dowler that led police to think she was still alive!

Haven't watched it since he left. Usually have it on as background noise when getting ready for work but haven't bothered. I only liked seeing what Piers would be going on about that day.

*Could another reason things don't go the right way at the ballot box

I suspect I voted the same way as you; I voted Labour despite disliking Corbyn, because it was the only way I could realistically vote against a hard Brexit. So I’m definitely left of centre.

But I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to denigrate other people’s voting choices. Living in a democracy means that you accept that general elections won’t always go the way you want.

You’ll also have a better chance of convincing people to vote the way you do if you treat them with respect (even if you really don’t get it!).